The Jacksonville Jaguars were finally able to draft an elite talent at quarterback last year, and many would agree that the sky is the limit for the former Clemson Tiger. That’s the thought process even after he struggled mightily last season as a rookie, though a good bit of that can be tied to the dysfunctional situation he was placed in.
While the coaching search took longer than expected, Jags owner Shad Khan started this season by fixing the problem from last year and naming a new coach in Doug Pederson. In Pederson, he will be getting a coach with significantly more NFL experience than Urban Meyer, a Super Bowl winner, and someone who has played in the NFL.
With Pederson’s addition, the Jags are also getting a coach who is good with quarterbacks. That’s huge for Lawrence, and many feel he could rebound and play at a high level in Year 2. CBS Sports’ Pete Prisco especially believes the pairing of Pederson and Lawrence could be special out of the gate as it puts Lawrence in a situation where he’s with a significantly more skilled coach.
This week, Prisco boldly predicted that Lawrence will be able to throw for over 4,000 yards under Pederson and also accumulate 32 touchdown passes.
“It’s that Trevor Lawrence will throw for over 4,000 yards and 32 touchdown passes,” Prisco said when asked about one of his most interesting bold predictions of 2022. “I know that people will look at last year and say ‘Oh my God, how could you possibly say that?’. Well, last year was a disaster. The coaching staff was awful. Urban Meyer had no idea what he was doing in implementing an offense and what to do with Trevor Lawrence.
“They also added playmakers. They were slow. They added Christian Kirk, who I think is going to have a big year for them. They improved on the offensive line. Brandon Scherff will step in and really help them. They get Travis Etienne back, who will really help in the passing game. And we know the history of Doug Pederson with quarterbacks. He’s been outstanding with them.”
Prisco follows the Jags as closely as any national analyst, so he knows how bad things were under Meyer. He also made it known from the start of the 2021 regular season that the offense that Darrell Bevell was implementing for Lawrence was questionable and that the team lacked speed.
As for the moves made this offseason, adding Pederson into the organization is something that many are overlooking because it wasn’t a player acquisition. And while he can’t take the field, his ability as an offensive mind shouldn’t be underestimated as he’s learned from one of the best play-callers in the game in Andy Reid.
What Pederson learned from Reid was shown with the Philadelphia Eagles, where Carson Wentz grew under Pederson. In his second season, he was playing at an MVP level, and though he had to go on injured reserve late in the season, Pederson was able to still win with his QB2 in Nick Foles. As many can recall, Foles led the Eagles to a Super Bowl victory in 2017, leaving the football community stunned.
Pederson’s work in Philly is why Prisco said he believes Lawrence can exceed expectations. Prisco also added that the relationship between Pederson and Lawrence is in a good place as both understand each other.
“When he had Carson Wentz as a rookie, he had a good year, but his second year he was phenomenal,” Prisco said of Pederson. ‘He was on his way to winning the MVP possibly when he tore up his knee and I think we will see that type of jump for Trevor Lawrence in Jacksonville.
“Doug Pederson will spread the ball around. They really do understand each other right off the bat. I think it’s a good relationship, unlike last year. I look for Trevor Lawrence to really elevate his game and if you go back to last season when he played the Colts in the season finale, that’s the Trevor Lawrence you will see. He was outstanding in that game and he will put up big numbers. Doug Pederson knows how to make quarterbacks successful.”
There is no doubt that Lawrence flashed No. 1 overall pick potential at times last season, and Week 17’s game was one of them. Indianapolis was in a scenario where they needed a win to get in the playoffs, and Lawrence stuck it to them. That marked growth on his part, too, as he and the Jags had come up just short of beating them earlier in the season.
There is no reason to believe that Pederson won’t be able to get Lawrence to play at a high level when looking at his history. A key to remember is that Pederson is dealing with a more talented first-round pick than Wentz with Lawrence, so the Jags may get off to a better start than expected.
Hitting the 4,000-yard mark for Lawrence certainly isn’t out of the realm of possibilities. However, for that to happen, we’ll have to see more in terms of the Jags’ usage of Christian Kirk. If he can be a big-time threat for the team while Zay Jones and Evan Engram prove to be solid secondary pass-catching threats, the feat is certainly achievable.
Right now, it feels like Lawrence has enough help within the run game for it to be a key factor in the offense, though, even with Travis Etienne and James Robinson coming off season-ending injuries. That said, Lawrence could fall short of Prisco’s prediction, but if the passing game has a strong showing in training camp, fans should start to open up to him hitting the 4,000-yard mark.
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